College athletes need to understand that the NCAA is very strict on substance abuse. It’s not just about the athlete who gets a bad name, but the NCAA as a whole is frowned upon. Let’s face it – the NCAA has a brand to maintain and under no circumstances will they allow their reputation to be tarnished.

Most kids who are fortunate enough to play for a major college program will tell you that hard work, sacrifice, and dedication are just some of the things they use to help make their dreams come true. Think about it for a moment – when a major program goes out to recruit some of the best high school athletes in a particular sport, they want to make sure that everything is going to be fine. In addition to the university, parents have a vested interested in their child’s future.

Former USC Trojan and NFL player, Keyshawn Johnson was great when he played in college as well as in the NFL. Now that he’s an NFL analyst, he’s able to bring a new and fresh perspective to the field of football. Johnson is committed to excellence and that’s why he has suspended his son, Keyshawn Jr. from playing for the University of Nebraska for six months. Why? Because after a search of Keyshawn Jr’s. dorm room, it was discovered that he was in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

The elder Johnson went into parent mode and took his son off the team so that he can mature. According to a story in Total Sports –

“At the end of the day, I don’t think that decision was in his hands. He squandered that decision. He still wants to play football, and he still wants to play for Nebraska. But if you don’t do the things you’re supposed to do, under the guidelines of me, it’s not going to happen.”

“One thing you will not do as my son is you will not embarrass Nebraska, you will not embarrass Mike Riley and you will not embarrass this family,” the elder Johnson said. “If you mature and you’re ready to resume your football career and academic goals, then Nebraska will be ready to embrace you.”